Aspartame was not approved until 1981, in dry foods. For over eight years the FDA
refused to approve it because of the seizures and brain tumors this drug produced in lab
animals. The FDA continued to refuse to approve it until President Reagan took office (a
friend of Searle) and fired the FDA Commissioner who wouldn't approve it. Dr. Arthur Hull
Hayes was appointed as commissioner. Even then there was so much opposition to approval
that a Board of Inquiry was set up. The Board said: "Do not approve aspartame".
Dr. Hayes OVERRULED his own Board of Inquiry.

Shortly after Commissioner Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr., approved the use of aspartame in
carbonated beverages, he left for a position with G.D. Searle's Public Relations firm.

Long-Term Damage. It appears to cause slow, silent damage in those unfortunate enough
to not have immediate reactions and a reason to avoid it. It may take one year, five
years, 10 years, or 40 years, but it seems to cause some reversible and some irreversible
changes in health over long-term use.

METHANOL (AKA WOOD ALCOHOL/POISON) (10% OF ASPARTAME) Methanol/wood alcohol is a deadly
poison. People may recall that methanol was the poison that has caused some "skid
row" alcoholics to end up blind or dead. Methanol is gradually released in the small
intestine when the methyl group of aspartame encounter the enzyme chymotrypsin.

The absorption of methanol into the body is sped up considerably when free methanol is
ingested. Free methanol is created from aspartame when it is heated to above 86 Fahrenheit
(30 Centigrade). This would occur when aspartame-containing product is improperly stored
or when it is heated (e.g., as part of a "food" product such as Jello).

Methanol breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde in the body. Formaldehyde is a
deadly neurotoxin. An EPA assessment of methanol states that methanol "is considered
a cumulative poison due to the low rate of excretion once it is absorbed. In the body,
methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde and formic acid; both of these metabolites are
toxic." The recommend a limit of consumption of 7.8 mg/day. A one-liter (approx. 1
quart) aspartame-sweetened beverage contains about 56 mg of methanol. Heavy users of
aspartame-containing products consume as much as 250 mg of methanol daily or 32 times the
EPA limit.

The most well known problems from methanol poisoning are vision problems. Formaldehyde
is a known carcinogen, causes retinal damage, interferes with DNA replication, and causes
birth defects. Due to the lack of a couple of key enzymes, humans are many times more
sensitive to the toxic effects of methanol than animals. Therefore, tests of aspartame or
methanol on animals do not accurately reflect the danger for humans. As pointed out by Dr
Woodrow C. Monte, Director of the Food Science and Nutrition Laboratory at Arizona State
University, "There are no human or mammalian studies to evaluate the possible
mutagenic, teratogenic, or carcinogenic effects of chronic administration of methyl
alcohol."

It has been pointed out that fruit juices and alcoholic beverages contain small amounts
of methanol. It is important to remember, that the methanol in natural products never
appears alone. In every case, ethanol is present, usually in much higher amounts. Ethanol
is an antidote for methanol toxicity in humans. The troops of Desert Storm were
"treated" to large amounts of aspartame-sweetened beverages which had been
heated to over 86 degrees F. in the Saudi Arabian sun. Many of them returned home with
numerous disorders similar to what has been seen in persons who have been chemically
poisoned by formaldehyde. The free methanol in the beverages may have been a contributing
factor in these illnesses. Other breakdown products of aspartame such as DKP, may also
have been a factor.

In a 1993 act that can only be described as
"unconscionable", the FDA approved aspartame as an ingredient in numerous food
items that would always be heated to above 86°degrees F (30°Degrees C).

Much worse, on 27 June 1996, without public notice, the FDA removed all restrictions
from aspartame allowing it to be used in everything, including all heated and baked goods.

The truth about aspartame's toxicity is far different than what the NutraSweet Company
would have you readers believe. In February of 1994, the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services released the listing of adverse reactions reported to the FDA (DHHS 1994). Aspartame accounted for more than 75% of all adverse reactions reported
to the FDA's Adverse Reaction Monitoring System (ARMS). By the FDA's own
admission fewer then ONE PERCENT of those who have problems with something they consume
ever report it to the FDA. This balloons the almost 10,000 complaints they once had to
around a million. However, the FDA has a record keeping problem (they never did respond to
the certified letter from the WEBMASTER of this site... a major victim!) and they tend to
discourage or even misdirect complaints, at least on aspartame. The
fact remains, though, that MOST victims don't have a clue that aspartame may be the cause
of their many problems! Many reactions to aspartame were very serious including
seizures and death. Those reactions included:

Methanol, from aspartame, is released in the small intestine when the methyl group of
aspartame encounters the enzyme chymotrypsin (Stegink 1984, page 143). Free methanol
begins to form in liquid aspartame-containing products at temperatures above 86 degrees
F.. also within the human body.

The methanol is then converted to formaldehyde. The formaldehyde converts to formic
acid, ant sting poison. Toxic formic acid is used as an activator to strip epoxy and
urethane coatings. Imagine what it does to your tissues!

Phenylalanine and aspartic acid, 90% of aspartame, are amino acids normally used in
synthesis of protoplasm when supplied by the foods we eat. But when unaccompanied by other
amino acids we use [there are 20], they are neurotoxic.

That is why a warning for Phenylketonurics is found on EQUAL and other aspartame
products. Phenylketenurics are 2% of the population with extreme sensitivity to this
chemical unless it's present in food. It gets you too, causing brain disorders and birth
defects! Finally, the phenyalanine breaks down into DKP, a brain tumor agent.

In other words: Aspartame converts to dangerous byproducts that have no natural
countermeasures. A dieter's empty stomach accelerates these conversions and amplifies the
damage. Components of aspartame go straight to the brain, damage that causes headaches,
mental confusion, seizures and faulty balance. Lab rats and other test animals died of
brain tumors.

Despite the claims of Monsanto and bedfellows:

1. Methanol from alcohol and juices does not get converted to formaldehyde to any
significant extent. There is very strong evidence to confirm this fact for alcoholic
beverages and fairly strong evidence for juices.

2. Formaldehyde obtained from methanol is very toxic in *very small* doses as seen by
recent research.

3. Aspartame causes chronic toxicity reactions/damage due to the methanol to
formaldehyde and other break down products despite what is claimed otherwise by the very
short, industry-funded experiments using a test substance that is chemically different and
absorbed differently than what is available to the general public. "Strangely
enough", almost all independent studies show that aspartame can cause health
problems.

4. A common ploy from Monsanto is to claim that aspartame is "safe" yet a few
select people may have "allergic" reactions to it. This is typical Monsanto
nonsense, of course. Their own research shows that it does not cause "allergic"
reactions. It is there way of trying to minimize and hide the huge numbers of toxicity
reactions and damage that people are experiencing from the long-term use of aspartame.

Summary

Given the following points, it is definitely premature for researchers to discount the
role of methanol in aspartame side effects:

1. The amount of methanol ingested from aspartame is unprecedented in human history.
Methanol from fruit juice ingestion does not even approach the quantity of methanol
ingested from aspartame, especially in persons who ingest one to three liters (or more) of
diet beverages every day. Unlike methanol from aspartame, methanol from natural products
is probably not absorbed or converted to its toxic metabolites in significant amounts as
discussed earlier.

2. Lack of laboratory-detectable changes in plasma formic acid and formaldehyde levels
do not preclude damage being caused by these toxic metabolites. Laboratory-detectable
changes in formate levels are often not found in short exposures to methanol.

3. Aspartame-containing products often provide little or no nutrients which may protect
against chronic methanol poisoning and are often consumed in between meals. Persons who
ingest aspartame-containing products are often dieting and more likely to have nutritional
deficiencies than persons who take the time to make fresh juices.

4. Persons with certain health conditions or on certain drugs may be much more
susceptible to chronic methanol poisoning.

5. Chronic diseases and side effects from slow poisons often build silently over a long
period of time. Many chronic diseases which seem to appear suddenly have actually been
building in the body over many years.

6. An increasing body of research is showing that many people are highly sensitive to
low doses of formaldehyde in the environment. Environmental exposure to formaldehyde and
ingestion of methanol (which converts to formaldehyde) from aspartame likely has a
cumulative deleterious effect.

7. Formic acid has been shown to slowly accumulate in various parts of the body. Formic
acid has been shown to inhibit oxygen metabolism.

8. The are a very large and growing number of persons are experiencing chronic health
problems similar to the side effects of chronic methanol poisoning when ingesting
aspartame-containing products for a significant length of time. This includes many cases
of eye damage similar to the type of eye damage seen in methanol poisoning cases.

Toxicity Effects of Aspartame Use Selection of Health Effects from Short-term and/or
Long-Term Use Note: It often takes at least sixty days without any aspartame NutraSweet to
see a significant improvement. Check all labels very carefully (including vitamins and
pharmaceuticals). Look for the word "aspartame" on the label and avoid it.
(Also, it is a good idea to avoid "acesulfame-k" or "sunette.")
Finally, avoid getting nutrition information from junk food industry PR organizations such
as IFIC or organizations that accept large sums of money from the junk and chemical food
industry such as the American Dietetic Association.

If you are a user of any products with aspartame, and you have physical, visual, mental
problems... take the 60-day no aspartame test. If, after two months with no aspartame your
symptoms are either gone, or are much less severe, please get involved to get this
neurotoxin off the market. Write a letter to the FDA, with a copy to Betty Martini (for
proof of how the FDA doesn't keep proper records). Write your congressmen. Return products
containing aspartame to the point of purchase... for a FULL refund. Make a big stink if
they WON'T give you a full refund! Tell all your friends and family... and if they stop
using aspartame and also "wake up well"... get them involved in the same way.

Aspartame is an "approved sweetener" because of a few greedy and dishonest
people who place profits above human life and well-being. With the FDA and our Congress
culpable, only an INFORMED and ACTIVE public will affects its reclassification from
"food additive" to TOXIC DRUG, and removed from the human food chain.

NOW... that you are aware
of the 92 FDA recognized symptoms (that required a Freedom Of Information Act request to
pry from their reluctant hands) and HOW aspartame does its dirty work, change to my Official Dogma page. On
this page Mark Gold has taken the IFIC "Official" aspartame safety myth and shot
it full of holes using all of the smoking guns that were used by the FDA to approve this
poison as a food additive, along with information they either ignored or
discounted. This excellent debunking of the official
FDA/Monsanto/Searle/Nutrasweet/Nutrasweet Kelco/AMA/ADA/IFIC/??? chain of lies and half
truths includes a long history of this
"product's" sordid trail to the marketplace and the sweet tooth.